Person B: "They finally got my steak out, but it was overcooked. It was a terrible experience."
6
Person A: "What did you do last weekend?"
Person B: "I went on a date with Sammy."
Person A: "Really? How was it?"
Person B: "I couldn't ask for a better night. We talked all throughout our two hour dinner, and
then we sat by the river and cuddled in the night."
7
Person A: "Didn't you finish finals week?"
Person B: "Don't remind me. I think I failed most of the exams."
Person A: "Why did you do so terrible?"
Person B: "My mind just went blank. I think I overloaded my brain. I just couldn't concentrate
during the exams."
Reading
Sick on Saturday (simple past)
I have just had a terrible weekend! On Saturday I was so tired that I slept all morning. When
I woke up I had a head ache and my throat was sore. My body ached all over. My nose ran and
I coughed a lot. My mother took my temperature but I did not have a fever.
My mother made me some soup for lunch and I ate it in bed. I drank some juice. I tried to read
a book but I couldnt keep my eyes open. I lay in bed all afternoon. I drifted in and out of sleep.
I drank more juice. I felt miserable all afternoon. I didnt want to do anything.
I got out of bed at dinner time. My parents ordered pizza for dinner and I was able to eat some
of it. I drank more juice! I felt a bit better after dinner so I stayed up. I snuggled under a
blanket on the couch and watched some TV with my parents. I fell asleep in front of the TV.
The next morning I felt better but now my mother had a cold! She looked miserable. It was her
turn to be sick.
Vocabulary help:
drifted in and out of sleep - when you are not really awake but not really asleep either
snuggled (verb) past tense of to snuggle - to move into a warm, comfortable position
Comprehension Check:
Did you understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. The boy was sick on Saturday. Yes or no?
2. On Sunday his father was sick. Yes or no?
3. He had a fever on Saturday. Yes or no?
4. He ate dinner in bed on Saturday. Yes or no?
Fill in the Blanks:
5. The family had _______________ for dinner on Saturday.
6. On Saturday night the boy fell asleep while he __________________________.
7. He had a head ______________ and his throat was ________________.
8. The boy drank lots of _______________.
9. What is the present tense of these verbs? tried _____________, took ________________,
felt ________________, did _________________
better (adjective) - comparative form of good. Good, better, best are the three forms of the
word good.
borrow (verb) - to use something that belongs to someone else and give it back later
mitt (noun) - a mitten. A type of glove with a single part for all the fingers except the
thumb which is in a separate part.
pair (noun) - two things that are the same and are used together. Examples, a pair of
gloves, a pair of socks
scarves (noun) plural of scarf - a long piece of cloth worn around the neck, head, or
shoulders.
skate (noun) - a shoe with a blade attached to the bottom. Skates are used to move on ice
Last Thanksgiving my parents had a large family dinner at their house. Getting ready for
Thanksgiving dinner takes a lot of work.
The day started well and by late afternoon we had completedmost of the work. Everyone had
helped to make the meal a success. We had put the turkey in the oven earlier that day so the
house was starting to smell like roast turkey. The grandchildren had finished setting the table for
Thanksgiving dinner. My aunt had made two pies for dessert, a pumpkin pie and an apple pie.
My brother and I had peeled the carrots and the potatoes. We had just turned on the stove to
start cooking the vegetables when the power went out! The oven stopped working! We couldnt
cook the vegetables! The turkey wouldnt finish cooking! We waited. We talked. We went for a
walk.
We had waited two hours by the time the power came back on. We had almost given up hope.
Dinner was late that night but it was a Thanksgiving dinner that we wont forget.
Vocabulary help:
aunt (noun) - the sister of one's mother or father, or the wife of one's uncle.
dessert (noun) - sweet food that is eaten after the main part of a meal
meal (noun) - when you eat, or the food that you eat at that time. Example: Lunch is a
meal that we eat in the middle of the day
oven (noun) - a piece of equipment that you cook food in. An oven has a large metal box
with a door
pie (noun) - a cooked dish that has a crust made of dough and a thicker layer of fruit,
meat, or something else on top of it. Sometimes it has another layer of crust on top of
that.
turned on (phrasal verb) - past tense of turn on - to cause something to begin. Example:
Turn on the lights if it is too dark to see.
vegetables (noun) - a plant you can eat, examples: potatoes, corn and onions
Comprehension Check:
Did you understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. The word had is used when making the past perfect verb tense. Yes or no?
2. Use the past participle of the main verb when making the past perfect. Yes or no?
3. My aunt made two apple pies for dessert. Yes or no?
4. When the power went out there was no electricity. Yes or no?
5. The turkey was finished cooking before the power went out. Yes or no?
10. For Thanksgiving dinner we had _____________ and vegetables and then we had pie for
_______________.
A Cake was Made (past tense, passive voice)
Seven tablespoons of cocoa powder were measured into a small bowl. Half a cup of boiling
water was added. The mixturewas stirred until it was smooth. It was left to cool down.
A half cup of softened butter was put in a large bowl. Two cups of white sugar were added.
The mixture was stirred until it was smooth. Next, three eggs were added and the mixture was
stirred again.
The dry ingredients were added next - two cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1
teaspoon of baking soda. The last additions that were made to the batter was a cup of sour cream
and all of the cocoa mixture. The batter was mixed well.
The batter was poured into two cake tins. The cakes were baked in the oven for 45 minutes.
After the cakes had cooled, chocolate icing was spread over them and the cakes were
decorated. The best part was saved for last.... the cakes were eaten!
Vocabulary help:
batter (noun) - a mixture of flour, liquid & sometimes eggs that is used to make cakes
half = 1/2
mixture (noun) - substances that have been added together make a mixture
sour cream (noun) - cream or milk that has been soured using bacteria.
tablespoon = 15 ml
teaspoon = 5 ml
Comprehension Check:
Did you understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. It was a chocolate cake. Yes or no?
2. One cake was made. Yes or no?
3. The best part was eating the cake! Yes or no?
4. Two bowls were used to make the cake. Yes or no?
clean up (phrasal verb) - to make a place (or person) clean and tidy
plowed (verb) past tense of to plow If a road has been plowed it usually means that a
snow plow has removed the snow from the road.
Comprehension Check:
Did you understand the story? Are these sentences true?
1. There was cake and wine at the party. Yes or no?
2. The sister received some birthday gifts. Yes or no?
3. The apartment was cleaned up after the party. Yes or no?
4. The drive home was slow. Yes or no?
5. The word had is used in forming the past perfect tense. Yes or no?